


(I Won’t Say) I Told You So

by sophwrites



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, You can't convince me otherwise, i am Loving the golden phone case, which was obviously bought for him by Robert okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 09:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7503027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophwrites/pseuds/sophwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robert loves Aaron so much. Or: Aaron is too stubborn to buy himself a new phone, but his lack of one starts creating problems for everyone else. Robert takes matters into his own hands. He <i>does</i> like to treat his boyfriend, after all.</p><p>Set sometime after Aaron's phone breaks when kayaking on their family trip to Wales, during the five week drought, but before Rakesh started the fire at the flats.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(I Won’t Say) I Told You So

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a silly thing I wrote after noticing that Aaron now has a golden phone case! (See: Sam texting Aaron about Lawrence.) I have no idea how this spiralled from that simple observation?! Inspired by a conversation with [Em](http://dingleautomotives.tumblr.com/) on tumblr <3
> 
> As always, please let me know if you see any mistakes!

 

 

“For God’s _sake!_ ” Aaron mutters, banging his phone against the palm of his hand in annoyance. He is officially sulking. Not willing to admit it, mind, so  _what the hell?_  he thinks as he hits his phone against the table, hard, in the hope it will turn on again in a miraculous moment.

“Should’ve taken my advice,” Robert says as he enters the back room of the pub, a small smirk on his face.

Aaron glares at him from his seat at the table. “I swear, if you dare say I told ya so—"

“I wouldn't dream of it.” Robert’s cheeky grin betrays him, but he keeps his word. His grin begins to take over his face as he continues, “Me? Saying I told you so? Unheard of.”

The room settles into silence again as Aaron fiddles with his phone, huffing when he has the battery out and in again to no avail. Robert watches from his perch on the arm of the sofa, finally shaking his head at his, sometimes daft, boyfriend.

Aaron's phone has been on the blink for days since they've gotten back from their holiday to Wales. Robert has waited with bated breath, wondering, anticipating when the phone would finally pack up. He's made bets with himself, watching Aaron get more and more wound up as it slowly died. Robert’s tried not to laugh, really, but sometimes he has an internal chuckle. It’s difficult not to when Aaron just looks _so_ adorably angry as his face scrunches into a frown.

“Flippin’ heck, you couldn't look smugger if you tried.”

Aaron's words draw Robert from his thoughts, meeting his boyfriend’s eyes to see a line of frustration creasing his brow. “Just get a new one already! I don't even know why you're hanging onto that basic Nokia  _thing_. It's archaic.”

“It’s just a phone,” Aaron says. “Doesn't have to be some fancy model as long as it does the job. Not all of us live on our phones like  _you_.”

Rather than taking offence at Aaron's tone, Robert only smiles. “At least mine  _works_.”

“Yeah well, it didn't fall in a river, did it?”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Shut up.”

Knowing he's won, Robert says nothing, sitting down next to Aaron and trying to rid his face of the pesky, fond smile that keeps bubbling up. It’s always like this with Aaron now, and he can’t say he minds, really. “Just go and get a new one, it'll only take an hour if you go to Hotten now.”

“No,” Aaron grunts in his usual, stubborn manner. Robert barely resists the urge to roll his eyes, but knows if he doesn’t, Aaron would only direct his anger toward him rather than the phone. “I’ll sort something out.”

Robert eyes him for a minute longer, deciding to drop the subject for now in fear of agitating his boyfriend further. He rather likes it when they’re getting on, and wants to keep it that way. “Alright. D’you want a brew?”

“Yeah, that'd be great, ta.”

 

* * *

 

“Why didn’t you answer your phone? You idiot!” Adam shouts as he all but sprints up the scrapyard’s driveway toward Aaron. “I’ve been ringing ya for an hour!”

Aaron, who, for his part, had been happily smashing up a car before Adam’s interruption, puts down his tools and wipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. It’s an unusually sunny day, causing him to squint at his best friend before replying, “My phone’s not working properly. Why, what’s up?”

“I needed ya!” Adam says, sounding almost desperate. Still not explaining anything. “Why didn’t you tell me your phone wasn’t working?”

“Sorry,” Aaron says abruptly, pulling a face and scrutinising Adam with irritation. He knows he probably could have mentioned it, but now he just feels defensive. “Didn’t realise I had to keep you up to date with every aspect of my life.”

He pulls off his bright red gloves and smacks Adam’s chest with them lightly, trying to ease some tension. 

“Are you going to explain what’s going on then, or are we just going to stand out here all day havin’ a mother’s meeting?”

“I was tryin’ to make a deal for us to take on more supply,” Adam says, practically on the verge of a meltdown if Aaron’s ever seen one. “The bloke wanted us to shift some of it today, but I didn’t have the van with me. I was  _ringing you_  so that you’d come and get it for us, but it kept going to voicemail! It was dead embarrassing, looked totally unprofessional.”

“Right well... Sorry.” Aaron replies, not actually sounding sorry at all. He looks away from Adam’s exasperated expression and instead focuses on the view of the Dales behind his head.

He refuses to feel guilty for something that wasn’t his fault; he’d never asked for his phone to break.

That only seems to rile Adam further. “Earth to Aaron!” Adam clicks his fingers in front of his business partner’s face. “Blimey, what has gotten into you today? Are you even going to bother to ask me if I got it sorted?”

“Did you get it sorted?” Aaron parrots dully, knowing he has to placate Adam.

“Yeah I did, as it happens. Not that you care.” Adam begins to walk toward the portacabin, but stops at the sound of car tires crunching under gravel. He comes back just as Robert pulls up.

“Hope your boyfriend can manage to cheer you up a bit, because you’re in a right mood today.”

Aaron scowls.

“Still don’t know why he got that car, though,” Adam comments, changing topics as if his anger toward Aaron has evaporated completely.  _Nothing like criticising Robert to put Adam in a better mood,_  Aaron laughs to himself. “I mean, a glass boot? Who’d want that?”

“His choice,” Aaron mutters, privately wondering the same thing. They’d almost had an argument about how stupid Aaron thought it was only last week.

“Alright lads?” Robert calls, strutting toward them. Aaron admires his boyfriend’s full profile as he walks, already feeling slightly more relaxed at the sight of Robert.

“No, actually,” Adam says, giving Aaron a side eye that merits the phrase _‘If looks could kill.’_ Aaron catches the glare aimed at him in his peripheral vision. “Almost lost a deal today because of  _this_  one here.”

Adam roughly pokes Aaron in the side and laughs maliciously, mimicking Aaron’s  _ow!_ , feeling as if he’s won some small victory. Robert looks at them with a furrowed brow. Aaron glares.

“Well?” Robert asks expectantly.

“What?”

Adam sighs, acting put upon. “ _Seriously_ , I don’t know what’s up with you today. He’s askin’ ya: What did you do that almost lost us the deal?” 

Aaron thinks the disdainful look and the severe head shaking is a touch dramatic. The Sugden flare for melodrama is definitely rubbing off on Adam. Probably because he's surrounded by them at home. “I’ll answer, shall I? He didn’t pick up his bloody phone, that’s what.”

The blond opens his mouth in glee to needle Aaron, seeing as he’d been right advising him to purchase a new phone, but promptly shuts it at the look Aaron gives him.

Robert puts his palms up, pale as the white flag of surrender itself, not wanting to get into an argument. He says: “I just came up here to ask ya if you wanted to go for lunch. But y’know, I had to drive up here since your phone is, uh, out of action, as it were.”

Adam and Robert share a glance, one of the few times they’re on the same side about something. Both men smirk as Aaron gives them a baleful look.

“Don’t you start an’ all,” Aaron warns, glaring at his boyfriend. “Let me just go and get—"

“Your phone?” Adam cuts him off. “Oh wait!”

“Just _do one_ , you tosser. I need to get my wallet.” Adam doesn't take offence and Aaron walks away, posture menacing and entering the portacabin like a force. The roughly pulled door closes behind him with a loud clang, making the two spectators wince.

“I’m not saying anything,” are the words when Adam turns to Robert. “If he doesn’t want a new phone, I can’t make him.”

“Yes you can!” Adam cries. “He’d do anything for you if you asked him enough times. Mate, c’mon.”

Robert only smiles as Aaron jogs toward them, rejoining the two. He opts not to reply to Adam. “Ready to go then?”

“Mm,” Aaron agrees, and then to Adam: “I’ll be back later. Don’t know when.”

Adam only rolls his eyes, used to Aaron swanning off with Robert for hours during their lunch break. “Yeah, whatever.”

Aaron and Robert walk side by side back to Robert’s car, arms brushing against each other in the lightest of touches. Both go to their respective sides and Aaron looks over the car’s roof with a wary glance. “Don’t you dare say it,” Aaron says as he ducks into the passenger seat.

“Wasn't even thinking about it,” comes the reply.

 

* * *

 

Aaron and Robert sit comfortably on the sofa in the back room of the pub, Aaron’s sock-clad feet resting in Robert’s lap as the latter recites his tedious day at work like a shopping list.

“So then I wanted to tell her to piss off! I mean, who does she think she is, talking to me like that?” Robert shakes his head, a scowl on his face. “You think she’d a have a bit more respect with all the business I’m bringing to the company. Some people are just never happy.”

“You talkin’ about Nicola or yourself?” Aaron mumbles through a mouthful of crisps, managing a small upwards quirk at the corner of his mouth to let Robert know he’s teasing.

“That’s disgusting!” Robert cringes, playfully slapping Aaron’s leg. “You know I hate when you talk with your mouth full.”

“Tough,” Aaron says, or at least Robert thinks he does. It’s difficult to tell when he eats and talks at the same time.

“Seriously, I prefer it when you don't do that.”

Cue the raising of eyebrows.

“And I preferred it when your hair was longer, don't see me complaining.”

“What?”

“Sorry, thought we were just saying things we didn't like about each other. My mistake.”

Robert can't help his grin even as he subconsciously runs a hand through his short hair. Aaron watches the movement,  Robert’s own eyes flashing to his boyfriend’s lick of the lips, choosing to ignore the added sexual tension for now.

“So, come on then. How was your day?” Robert asks, lightly tickling the underside of Aaron’s foot, just to watch him squirm. 

“Well—”

The two are interrupted by Robert’s phone ringing. Awkwardly reaching for the arm of the sofa, Robert surveys the caller and meets Aaron’s eyes. He mouths _Liv_ , and then answers the phone.

“Liv? You okay?”

Both men look at each other with puzzled expressions. Aaron’s boyfriend and little sister might have been getting on better, but they were no house on fire. Aaron’s still her first port of call, meaning it’s unusual for her to be phoning Robert. It makes Aaron feel agitated, in a way that gets his skin flushing, as if he’s missing something important.

Aaron checks his watch, frowning when he realises it’s half five, and Liv should have been back a while ago.

“Ask her where she is!” Aaron says. Robert waves his hand in a _’go away’_ motion, listening to Liv on the other end of the phone. Almost in retaliation, Aaron sucks the corner of his lip into his mouth, looking the picture of concern.

“Right,” Robert replies. “Well you should have expected that really.”

Liv mutters something and Robert laughs. “Hey! Don’t take it out on me! This is basically your fault in the first place.”

Aaron grows more restless as the conversation continues, fiddling with the cuff of his jumper with far too much concentration. He doesn’t like not knowing what the two are talking about.

“Yeah, yeah, you already know he’ll say he's sorry. I’m sure you’ll survive, Liv.” A pause. “Fine. Stay there and I’ll come and get you.”

He hangs up the phone and pockets it, gently pushing Aaron's legs off him and standing up, his spine making a slight crack. Aaron resists the urge to make some sort of ‘old man’ joke and instead watches Robert patting himself down, looking for his keys.

“What's going on?” Aaron asks as he stands too, finally voicing his concern.

“Apparently Liv told you she had a detention today,” Robert rolls his eyes. “And she tried to call you to come and pick her up cause she was too late for the bus, but…”

Aaron scowls, understanding Robert’s meaning immediately.

“But my phone isn't working, yeah, I get it.”

Huffing, Aaron sticks his fingers into his pockets, trying to appear nonchalant. Failing. Robert only shakes his head affectionately and then makes his way to the door.

“Wait! I'll get her,” Aaron calls as he follows Robert to the door. “It's my fault, I should go.”

“Nah, you’re alright,” Robert says as he shrugs on his coat. Offers Aaron an easy smile. Those were more and more common these days. “Let me get her. Gives me another chance to go up in her estimations.”

Aaron’s eyes widen, his emotions the wrong side of annoyed to play along with Robert’s joke. “Y’know she doesn’t hate ya.”

He receives a funny look in return. “I know...” Robert pauses as he gives Aaron a once over; perfunctory and not at all sexy. “Don’t worry about this, yeah? Just a misunderstanding. She’s fine.”

“I should have remembered.” Aaron’s voice is grating, and Robert immediately picks up on his tone. He's blaming himself.

“Hey, look at me.” Aaron does. “We all forget stuff, no harm done. She’s fine. Please don’t beat yourself up about this.”

Simultaneously, he loves and hates that Robert has learnt to read him so well.

“Alright.”

“You promise me?” Robert stands in front of him, eyes beseeching. Aaron looks at him. Thinks. He finds it hard to believe that all they’ve been through has led to this; Robert, right here, gentle concern for his boyfriend not out of place for an unassuming Wednesday.

“Yeah,” Aaron says. Then: “Yeah.” Firmer.

Robert nods his head, obviously believing Aaron and then turns to go. Right before he does, he walks back, giving Aaron a hug and murmuring _Love you_ , into Aaron’s ear like a melody.

It’s a song that Aaron thinks he could play on repeat forever.

Then Robert goes, and Aaron takes up his place on the sofa once more. Just as he’s tipping the last of the crisps into his mouth, the landline goes off, making him jump as a robotic female voice speaks out of the phone.

“ _Text message from the number: zero, seven, seven, zero, zero, nine, zero, zero, nine, one, eight. At, five, forty-two, p.m.”_

Aaron recognises the number as Robert’s and sits up, waiting to hear the message.

“ _Don’t worry,_ ” the mechanical voice tells Aaron, “ _I won’t say it_.”

 

* * *

 

“I swear to _God_ , if that boy doesn’t get here soon...” Charity moans as she drums her fingers against the bar. Impatient as always.

Cain surveys her with a cautious glance, gulping down the last of his pint. “Calm down will ya? M’sure he’ll be here soon. Bound to take his lunch break eventually.”

Charity looks at him waspishly just as the door to The Woolpack swings open. Aaron and Robert stroll in, the former just ahead of the latter, both laughing. Charity’s eyes narrow.

“Oi, you!”

Aaron looks behind him at Robert and then back at her, one eyebrow raised. “You _can’t_ be talking to me, so what’s Robert done now?”

That comment earns him a playful pinch to the side and more laughter between the two men. Aaron doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to Robert being this openly affectionate with him in public. In front of his _family_.

“It is you, actually,” Charity ruins their moment. “Your mum called, y’know the one that’s in hospital at the moment?”

A hostile glance is exchanged between the two.

“I hadn’t forgotten.”

A scoff. “Well, you wouldn’t think so, seeing as you haven’t been bothered to answer any of her calls.”

Her remark is met with disbelieving eyes as Aaron steps closer to the bar. “My phone’s not been working, I’ve _told_ you that. And I spoke to her last week, for your information. S’not my fault some of us actually _do_ our jobs when they’re at work, we don’t have time to stand around all day chatting.”

Aaron knows it’s a bit rich for him to comment on anyone’s work ethic, but he _has_ been slacking off less lately, and God knows the books would never get done properly if he didn’t do them. Adam writes like a five year old with a permanent sugar rush. Charity, on the other hand, can barely even change a barrel by herself. Aaron doesn’t even know _why_ she bought into the pub when she has a much better mind for business. He knows she’d take scheming over hard graft any day.

Cain watches the change in his nephew’s facial expression and lays a hand on his chest. “Alright lad, no one’s accusing you of being a bad son.”

Aaron says, “She is!” at the same time Charity says, “I am.”

“Hey, don’t have a go at him!” Robert comes to his defence.

There’s standoff between the relatives as no one wants to break the laden silence first. Robert looks back and forth between the two as if riveted by a tennis match.

“You should be here when she calls,” Charity says finally, sucking one of her cheeks into her mouth and obviously biting on it, trying to remain calm.

Aaron looks at her incredulously, “What, so I’m meant to be psychic now am I? I can just predict when she'll phone?”

“Well _maybe_ if you just went and bought yourself a new phone, we wouldn’t be having this conversation!” She growls.

“That’s it,” Cain says, deciding to intervene before the situation gets any worse. “Charity back off. Aaron’s doing his best. If you hadn’t remembered, he’s got a full time job and a teenager to parent.”

She looks suitably chastised. “And Aaron, go and call your mum. You know she loves ya and wants to hear from ya.”

Aaron nods once and allows Robert to steer him round to the back of the pub, not bothering to look back. They sit down on the sofa and Robert can practically _feel_ the energy radiating off Aaron. He’s buzzing. It’s only a matter of time before he explodes.

“Who does she thinks she is!” Aaron cries.

There it is.

He speaks in a more controlled whisper this time, not wanting her to hear him. His tone is no less harsh. “She’s spouting that rubbish like the Paragon of Virtue out there, when the only person she cares about 90% of the time is herself. And she has the _nerve_ to criticise me?”

Robert places a calming hand on Aaron’s thigh, squeezing lightly and meeting Aaron’s blue eyes.

“She’s just worried about her.” He’s trying to be fair. “She’s her family too, I guess. She’s just missing Chas and it’s getting to her. Doesn’t mean she should take it out on you, mind. But I’m sure you can understand that.”

He’s met with a hard stare from Aaron, who then just quirks a small smile, much to Robert’s relief. “When did you become the voice of reason, ey?”

“Pigs must be flying,” Robert agrees and grins, pulling Aaron close so he’s leaning against Robert’s chest, his arm around Aaron’s back.

“This jumper is nice on you,” Aaron admits in a rare complementary moment. He nuzzles against it slightly and Robert tries to crane his head down to look at his boyfriend.

It’s a grey jumper; one that Robert knows makes him look good. It’s tight fitting and he bought it with the sole purpose of catching people’s attention. Well. Aaron isn’t really just any person. He’s always sort of been the most important person, now more than ever.

“You just love me for my body,” Robert says.

Aaron mumbles, “It helps,” and earns himself a light cuff on the ear.

There’s silence for a while, both thinking until Robert says, “Call her in a bit. She _knows_ you care about her. Don’t stress about it, alright?”

Robert feels rather than hears the _Mm_ that Aaron hums into his neck. They snuggle closer, and Robert enjoys the feeling of mutual body heat almost as much as the fact that he’s managed to successfully comfort Aaron without having it blow up in his face.

“Maybe I should get a new phone...” Aaron trails off quietly, and Robert knows the admission is probably hard for him.

Really, it’s such a stupid thing to argue about, but Aaron is stubborn, and he hates being told what to do.

“Maybe,” is all Robert replies, and then: “I’m not going to say it.”

“You will though.”

Robert says nothing.

 

* * *

 

The observation that Aaron isn’t really in a good mood is an accurate one, but probably one that would get a person snarled at if they actually brought it up. He walks through to the back of the pub slightly menacingly, almost slamming into Victoria on his way there.

He stands back to make sure she’s alright, and she looks up at him with a smile, seemingly undeterred by his vaguely hostile demeanour.

“I know I’ve said it a hundred times,” she starts, “but I’m dead chuffed that you and Robert managed to sort things out between yous.”

Aaron is used to the gushing by now, and secretly even appreciates it. Vic is just about the only person who is simultaneously happy for him, and wouldn’t judge him if he ever decided to partake in a bit of gushing about the situation himself.

Which he hasn’t.

Obviously.

Well. It doesn’t really matter if he has or not, since Vic’s sworn to secrecy either way.

“Thanks, Vic,” he responds to her, his eyes softening as he smiles. “I’m made up for us as well. Didn’t think we’d ever make it here, to be honest.”

This comment makes her smile grow seemingly impossibly wider and he can’t help but grin back. Vic is so animated; it’s hard not to mirror her enthusiasm sometimes.

“Robert’s left something for you in the back. No idea what it is. Just said he wanted to surprise you.”

Aaron gives her a bewildered look as she hurries back to the kitchen, leaving him standing in the hallway on his own. He pushes the door to the back room open and there it is. The rectangle box sitting on the table, waiting for him.

He approaches with eyes slightly squinted, like a cat scouting out its prey.

It’s got blue wrapping paper, and even a matching bow and tag.

Not being able to resist any longer, he rips off the paper, not bothering to read the tag, too curious about what’s inside. There’s a plain white box, obviously been opened already, and as he lifts off the lid, he sees a brand new phone.

Staring at it laying in its foam-padded, protective bed, he can’t believe Robert’s actually _bought_ it for him. He bypasses angry, knowing that Robert didn’t do it to dent his pride, more because he _can_ and he loves Aaron enough to do things like this for him now. Lifting it out of the box, Aaron understands why it seems already opened.

There’s a new case that he can gurantee didn’t come with the phone.

And it’s _gold_.

His first instinct is to be annoyed, wondering why Robert would buy something so out of the ordinary for him. He must know that Aaron either would have gotten himself a black case or gone without; meaning he deliberately chose this one so it would stand out.

Aaron can’t work out if this is Robert making some kind of statement, or if he’s just trying to be flash, but either way it’s not Aaron _at all_.

Aaron’s next response is to laugh, because he can already hear the kind of things Robert will say to him later: _'Top of the range that is, don’t want to turn your nose up at that. I’ve gotten you a smash proof case.'_ Or: _'Live a little! Life can have a bit of colour can’t it?'_

He doesn’t even want to think about something soppier Robert might say, like _'you make my life feel golden now,'_ or, _'you deserve to have the best things.'_ Anything’s a possibility when it comes to that man.

The phone feels like a solid weight in his hand, _right,_ so he turns it on.

He goes to a draw to get out his old phone, wanting to take out the sim and see if it’s even salvageable at this point. He hopes so – transferring numbers is such a hassle.

As he goes, he bends down to pick up the wrapping paper that had fallen to the floor when he’d hastily unwrapped his present, and spots the tag, lying face down on the carpet. He grabs it, turning it over in his palm, and can’t decide whether to shake his head or roll his eyes.

Instead, he smiles as he reads:

_I told you so._

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is, but either way I really hope you enjoyed it! Tried to make it a bit longer than usual, and had a go at writing in the present tense.
> 
> Let me know what you thought? :-)


End file.
